I was so encouraged to read the article below this week in Time Magazine. As consumers, we have such a strong vote by what we buy. Did you know that Coca Cola is now producing extra protein milk? It’s called Fairlife and totes to be chocked full of more protein and less sugar. Not ready to recommend it, just pointing out that they are switching their tune based on consumer demand. Perhaps they see the writing on the wall and realize that the American public is moving away from diet and regular sodas into other drinks to cut back on sugar and chemicals. Baby steps but steps just the same. Read on!!!

"As concerns about health epidemics plague the nation, demand and sales of diet soda have plunged as consumers try to make better choices. As we reported yesterday, aspartame–the main sweetener for diet soda–is one of the most dangerous ingredients used in our food supply, causing seizures and a host of other health issues.

In a new study done over ten years and sampling 60,000 women, it was shown that women who drink two or more diet drinks a day have much higher cardiovascular disease rates and are more likely to die from the disease.“…Compared to women who never or only rarely consume diet drinks, those who consume two or more a day are 30 percent more likely to have a cardiovascular event [heart attack or stroke] and 50 percent more likely to die from related disease." concluded the University of Iowa.

‘This is one of the largest studies on this topic, and our findings are consistent with some previous data, especially those linking diet drinks to the metabolic syndrome,’ says Dr. Ankur Vyas… the lead investigator of the study. The association persisted even after researchers adjusted the data to
account for demographic characteristics and other cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index,
smoking, hormone therapy use, physical activity, energy intake, salt intake, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake.

Soda sales slipping...
Thankfully this study comes on the heels of reports of already slipping sales of diet soda, one of the largest aspartame markets.

According to Time Magazine: “One reason for the decline could be a growing awareness of the obesity epidemic in the US and growing health concerns surrounding sugar-sweetened beverages. According to Reuters, industry experts say the beverage industry is shrinking under the scrutiny. Even diet-branded drinks have suffered a loss of sales with concerns over artificial sweeteners.”

Whatever the reason for the decline, this new study should only add fuel to the movement away from artificial sweeteners. There are plenty of natural sweeteners that people can choose that are much healthier than aspartame. Click here for a practical guide to natural sweeteners.

Another important note is that the overall sales of soda going down also means that less people are being exposed to (mostly GM) high fructose corn syrup which carries a whole host of health risks as well."

One thought on “Artificial sweeteners the culprit for declining diet soda sales. Consumers, we are taking control!”

I used to drink 2 diet cokes a day because I enjoyed them, so I get the desire to have them. What got me to stop my habit was finding other healthier options that I enjoyed just as much. Everything in moderation!